Plant for the carbonization of coal



PLANT FOR THE CARBONIZATION OF COAL Filed June 11. 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet i INUENT-TZ'R 6 :1. 2 11 I wwoR'm-x 1-3- his ittcrno 's June 3, 1924. 1,496,054-

- S. R. iLL!NGWORTH LANT FOR THE CARBONIIZATION OF COAL Filed June 11 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 :mmwow s. R. znz'w womxe By his Attorneys,

5-. R. ELUNGWORTH PLANT FOR THE CARBONIZATION OF COAL Filed June 11 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOH Ry his Attor xeys,

J '3, 1924. EAQfififi S. R. ILLINGWORTH PLANT FOR THE CARBONIZATION OF COAL Filed June 11 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 nnmmon sTEwARTRoY ILLINGWOR'PH,

By his Attorneys,

June 3, 1924-. 1;.496.054

. S. R. lLLlNGWORTH I PLAN! FOR THE- CARBONIZATION OF COAL Filed June 11. 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENIOR STEWART ROY ILL-INGWORTH By his Attorneys;

Jam 3, 1924.

S. R. lLLINGWORTH PLANT FOR THE CARBONIZATION OF COAL 7 .sheets sheet 6 Filed June 11.

Li HT 2/ H J 1/ I //7 //1 ;INVEWEOR STEWART ROY ILLINGWORTH,

1: 3.-l924- v. Jun s. R. ILLINGWORTH PLANT FOR THE CARBONIZATION OF COAL Filed June 11 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 INVENTOR S. R ILIING ORm 35 s Attorneys Fat-231M alpine El,

E lhlllll" FOR THE CAB-BQBIZZATIZQK O3 911%.

Application filed lane 13.,

To all a may concern:

Be it known that I, STEWART ROY lLLnre- WORTH, a. subject of the King 01 Great Britain, residing at Eryn Fedwen, Radyr, Glen morganshire, Wales, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plants for the Carbonization of Goal, of which the follow in is a specification.

ilk? object of this invention is to provide an improved plant for the carbonization of coal, which shall be especially suitable for use in processes described in my earlier Patents Nos. 1,422,269 and 1,445,954 and 1,462,576.

Goals which are particularly adapted for use with the improved plant are coals which have been subjected to a preliminary treat- *uent as described in the specifications Nos. 1,422,269 and 1,462,576. blended coals such 18 described in the-specification No. 1,445,954, and some natural coals, which coals do not ex and on carbonization.

l y this plant I am enabled to form fuel of definite shape and size.

According to my invention l provide in' a long horizontal or inclined retort an endless chain which can be driven by vertical siroclrct wheels and l mount on this chain a number of trays each of which is divided by partitions into a. number of compartments forming moulds, of the size which the briquettes or blocks of fuel are to have, and

I provide at one end of this retort means for feeding coal on to the trays.

At the end oi the retort opposite to the end where the coal is fed 1 provide a retortinto which the trays deliver their contents.

The trays are turned over and the briquettes drop out of them into the oven or retort. The trays are preferably tapered in order to facilitate discharge.

Carbonization. proceeds from the sides of the coal in each mould towards the middle and consequently the outer shell of each piece or block of coal becomes heated sooner than does the centre. Consequently it is only necessary to make the first retort long enough and to cause the trays to travel through it at such a rate that this outer shell may be sufficient to prevent fracture of the block or briquette as it falls from the tray into the even. I have found that such formation of the shell occurs after about one fifth of the Whole time required for complcte conversion into smokeless fuel and 1923. serial no. sac-Jae.

therefore the oven may be made of a su cient size to take a charge four times as great as the charge of the first retort.

The coal is preferably fed to the trays by a star feed valve from a hopper. This star valve should be of the full width of the trays and is so geared to the sprocket which drives the chain that it delivers coal as each tray passes beneath it.

ln order to prevent waste of'coal. the back of each tray is preferably caused to overlain the front of the tray following it.

I may also provide a scraper which levels the coal as the trays pass beneath it, and a plate may be fixed above the trays with surficient clearance to allow them to pass, which Elate ensures that the upper sin-races of the riquettcs are smooth.

ll it is desired to preheat the coal as described in my earlier specifications in the same plant, the preheater may be arranged above the horizontal retort and the waste gases may be led from the lines of the horizontal retort and may be employed to lies-3 this preliminary retort.

The process described in this case is claimed in my companion application Serial No. 644,749, filed June 11, 1923.

The accompanying drawings illustrate plant made in accordance with this invention.

"ill

Figures 1, l and 1 show a longitudinal section of a carbonizing plant, Figure i be ingan extension of the upper lefthand portion of Figure 1, and Figure 1 a downward extension of the right hand portion of Fig" ure 1.

Figures 2 and 2 show a longitudinalsection through the same, Figure 2 being a" downward extension of Figure 2.

Figures 3 and 3 show a longitudinal section of the carbonizing plant of the previous figures combined with a preheating cylinder.

Figure l is a transverse section of the same, taken on the line 4 -4: of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View on the lines 5-5 and 6-6 of Fl re 1.

10 is a horizontal mu retort in which are mounted airs of sprocket wheels 11 and 12 over whic i'pass' two endless chains 13, rollers 131 being provided to assist in the running of the chains. On the chains 13 are mounted trays 14 which are divided by partitions 141 into a number ofcompartments forming moulds of the size which the bri- The trays 14 have flanges 142 on their rear ends which overlap the front 'ends of the ads jacent trays, so preventing the waste ofmcoal. At the'end of the retort 10 remote from the feeding apparatus 15 is a vertical retort 16 provided at its base with a baflle plate 17 and a star wheel 18 by means of which a measured quantity of material is delivered from the retort 16. It will be observed by reference to Figures '1' and 2 that the star wheel 18 consists of a plurality of sets of arms, each set as shown consisting of four arms and as shown in Figure 2 ries of such sets of arms though this number is not essential. The sets of arms have spaces between them as shown in Figure 2. Prongs 16? which are rigidl held at their inner ends have free outer or ower ends which extend between the sets of arms of the star wheel. In this way the delivery of the briquettes from the retort 16 is regulated. On the rotation of the star wheel the material delivered falls into one or other of the cooling chambers 19 or 20 according to the position of the guide 181. The cooling chambers are provided with doors 191 and 201 through which the material is delivered. The retort 10 is heated by gas burners in horizontal passages 21 whilst the retort 16 is'heated by burners in horizontal flues 22 and at the base of the retort 16 is a pipe 23 for the admission of gas. The retort 10 is provided with inspection doors 101 and 102 and a main 103 through which the gaseous products are extracted.

The retort 10 is surrounded by a casing'or jacket C between which and the retort 10 there is an annular chamber 1) into which the/ products of combustion from the fines 21 pass by means of the ports (I and from this chamber D the products of combustion escape through a stack or chimney E.

The retort 16 is surroundedby a casing or jacket I and gas and air or other fuel enters at. X and passes into a flue or passage (1: which communicates through ports g with the fines 22 which are annular and which delircr through'ports H to a fiiie K which in turn delivers to the chamber l) communicating by means of' ports (5 with the fines 21.

The manner in which the fuel enters the lines 22 and passestherefrom to the chamber D and into the fines 21 to the stack as indicated by the arrows. Suitable dam 'iers maybe employed at a." and y as indicated. I

In opczation the trays 13 in the retort 10 are caused to travel through it at such a rate that the outer shell of a briquette is sufficica'z ifll'iai'd to prevent fracture When the there are five parallel se-\ retort 10. K Referring to Figures '3 and 4, 24 is an...

and out from these fines.

hriquette is dropped by the reversal of trays 13 into the retort 16. It is found that the formation of the shell occurs about one fifth of the whole time required for complete conversion into'smokeless fucl therel'ore, the

furnace 16 is ofsufficient size to take four tlIllQS dS-gl'at a charge as the retort 10, and

the" star wheel 16 is driven at such a pace that the charge is extracted from the retort when it is sufiiciently carbonizcd. The charge manufacture of metallurgical coke in whiclr a large output of liquid byproducts is rev quired the furnace10 is maintained at about 500 to 600 C. whilst the top of the retort 16 is maintained at 600 C. and the bottom "at 900 to 1000 C. In this case the retort 16must be of a capacity from 7 to 8 times that of the retort 10.

The furnaces 1'0 and 16 and. thecooling chambers 19 and 20 may bejacketed and may be used for heating gas given; off by the coals which may be led to the pipe"2,3 from which it passes to the retort 16 andthen to the iron cylinder mounted in a chamber 25 refractory material which is heated by horizontal fines 251. The flues 251 are provided with burners 252 which supply fuel to the fines 251 and the flames from the burners are shielded from the retort 24 as indicate at 25-3. The fines 251 are in communication with passages 171 which. deliver to the chamber Fuel also passes to the chamber 25 from the fines 101 and is boosted by the gases passing from the passages 171. After passin'g around the retort 24 the gases pass out through a suitable chimney. In the preheating cylinder 24 is a shaft 26 driven by gearing at its left hand end, and on the shaft 26 are blades 262 so inclined that the coal in the cylinder is turned over andcaus ed to travel a definite amount through the cylinder. Atthe left hand end also is a feed hopper 27 provided with a measuring valve 271 which is driven from the shaft 26 at a speed which will introduce sutlicient coal into the preheating cylinder 24. On the shaft 26 is a; worm wheel 261' driven by a worm 260 and on the shaft 272 of the valve 271 is a worm wheel 273 driven by a worm 274 and on the'shafts of the worms 260 and 274 are sprocket wheels 263 and 275 driven by a chain 30; the valve 151' .beingsimilarly driven from the shaft of the sprocket wheel 11. At the right hand end ofthe cylinder 24 are crushing rollers 28 \vhichare driy cn' in conjunction 'withfa valve 29 by g'ear- 

